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Lots of time during the pandemic these days, so figured I would start a thread to introduce you to my 'hawk and to keep a log of all the things I've been working on with her. Without further ado, meet Susie. She reminds me quite a bit of a 2000 VFR I had except lighter and with more attitude.
I picked her up in March. One owner, 14,300 miles, totally stock except for a K&N air filter, baffles removed from exhaust, and cheap fake carbon fiber front blinkers and tank pad. So far, this is what I've done to her:
gottensioners rid of the front indicators, added matching ones to the back (that I won't have to worry about rubbing against soft bags)
swapped levers out for aftermarket adjustable- I was surprised how heavy the clutch is and feels like a long reach
Yamaha R1 r/r
battery tender, waterproof USB adapter, USB lightning cable with waterproof caps
brake reservoir socks, because, you know, horsepower that's why I got a yellow 'hawk too. so much faster.
new grips (old ones were in bad shape)
I have a nice parts bin collecting of the parts for the mods I have planned. They include:
stainless steel brake lines front and rear
stainless steel clutch line
Oberon clutch slave
manual cam chain tensioners
#48 pilot jets
fuel mixture thumb screws (thanks Jack Flash)
gear position indicator
TPS adjustment
spark plugs (iridium)
I'm excited to get everything on the bike. It rides fantastic now but from what I'm reading it sounds like it goes from fantastic to exceptional with a few adjustments.
There are a couple of outstanding things that the bike needs. The chain I believe is the original- it's not in bad shape but it wouldn't hurt to replace. The tires are also 5ish years old- they only had 200-300 miles on them when I bought the bikes (hadn't been ridden in 4 years) and boy are they dry but I'm determined to get a season out of them while I tinker.
One upgrade I was looking at was a Kaoko throttle lock- does anybody have experience with them? I was a fan of Throttlemeister before they went out of business and it looks like a similar system.
Any downsides to the bike? About a month after owning it, a small crease dent appeared in the tank and I have no idea where it came from but it turned the cosmetically flawless bike into not so flawless. You can see it if you look close at the first picture. Nothing other than that- I also have been getting pretty good mileage too! About 150 miles out of a tank.
Also, in the background you can see my wife's 2009 Yamaha FZ6R and my current build, a 1982 Honda CM450C. The latter has been taking most of my time lately, but she's recently running!
Yeah! So as I make changes, I'll post them here with my lessons learned.
Thanks everyone! This forum has been great and a huge help so far!
Seems like a great find in relatively stock condition. Enjoy!
Recommend you check the manufacturing code date on the tyres and if 5 years as you say then best replace - they don't improve with age like wine or cheese ;-)
Plus put the installation of manual tensioners to the top of the list.
Seems like a great find in relatively stock condition. Enjoy!
Recommend you check the manufacturing code date on the tyres and if 5 years as you say then best replace - they don't improve with age like wine or cheese ;-)
Plus put the installation of manual tensioners to the top of the list.
Thanks! It’s been a great ride so far- really enjoying it.
Yes- everything will happen probably all at once one of these upcoming weekends. Hardly worth getting to the valve covers and not addressing carbs and stuff while there.
New upgrade today- added a DIY tank protector- check my signature for a link to the thread on the how-to.
Nice!
Downsides, yes. Get manual cct's and a mosfet R/R and you're good to go.
Another downside, very soft fork springs. One of the first mods you should consider is a re-spring.
So I didn’t go with the MOSFET R/R but I have had good luck with the Yamaha R1/R6 swaps one the past on other Honda’s. Already did it on this one right away!
Yeah...suspension is good but I have been spoiled in the past. My last primary bike, a heavily modified VFR800 had a front end from an RC51. Not quite as nice as that, but still not too bad by any means! I’ll keep the fork springs in mind tho- she doesn’t turn in super quick so we will see how much it bugs me over the summer.
Received a Kaoko throttle lock in the mail today- didn’t get to working on Susie over the weekend (friend’s Super Magna and wife’s FZ6R got all the attention) but since this took all of 5 mins to install, I threw it on quick.
Another quick fun mod today- this one really useful I think since I usually ride with comms or earbuds. Here is a Bluetooth remote to control music and volume on your phone. It’s waterproof as well- $27 well spent! The rubber is stretched a little tight, I do have it tethered to the brake line in case it dries out and gives out.
Alright time to get started! Just confirmed a nice long trip in a few weeks so tires and chain/sprocket are now on the to-do list. Tonight, we kicked off with stainless lines all around, Oberon clutch slave, and upgraded the headlight bulb.
I am unsure about the Oberon clutch slave. On the stands, I don’t feel much of a difference with it and the braided line. But time will tell I guess.
Also unsure about the Galfer lines on the front brakes. The stop is right where the lines needed to go so I ended up tilting the lever back toward me a bit. I guess I’ll see if that is comfortable enough when she is put back together otherwise might have to to a different route. For routing the lines, I reused the two lower clamps but the upper left one I didn’t have enough slack for. The clamp on the other side has a spacer and some washers behind it.
Tomorrow the bike gets torn down further to do CCTs, plugs, and probably the TPS.
The Oberon gives you better smoother engagement, much more controllable, you should definitely feel the difference, I did right away.
Originally Posted by Wolverine
Nice progress!
I settled just above 500 on the TPS. Anything below and my Hawk exhibited a carb-farty-ness.
Get some time with the Oberon. I bet you'll realize the difference. One of my friends put one on his Multistrada. He loves it and I liked it's feel.
I will have to spend some time with it then. Feel has only been from bike on stands, haven’t gotten a chance to ride with it yet. We will see!
Tires went out for fresh rubber yesterday so while I was waiting I got everything taken off and down to the point to do CCTs next. It sounds like it’s helpful to have the rear tire on to help facilitate a bit but at least it’s down to that point. So far so good! There is a lot going on but typical Honda it’s well designed and user friendly.
Previous owner had put a K&N filter in but there were no sub filters to be found. So OEM have been ordered (I thought the K&N kit came with sub filters?) so we will see how much that changes things if so all. The K&N in there was filthy.
And oh my goodness these carbs are huge. I read many times biggest on a production bike but didn’t put that together until getting them out. What beasts! Idle on the bike was around 1k so I’m hoping cleaning them out will raise the idle a bit- I found that 1k is too low? Supposed to be in the 1200-1300 range to get oil moving sufficiently?
Let the real fun begin now! CCTs, carb cleaning and jetting, and TPS coming next.
New rubber and chain/sprockets are on. Decided on Bridgestone T31s and a 520 conversion. We will see how it goes! Same number of teeth front and rear.
Been working on the wife’s bike a little and a friend's Harley (reminds me why I like Hondas) so the CCT, carbs, and TPS are on the docket for tomorrow. Should be much easier stuff after that!
CCTs are in, always a nerve wrecking job. Total deflection is about 6.5mm on each. I’m using Blackpath brand- seem high quality and have an oring seal below the lock nut.
TPS was set to 894 from the factory, got it to 497.
Carbs were fairly clean but a few jets could be better. I went to #48 pilots and from .50 to .80 on the front and from .50 to .90 on the back. Mixture screws were 2 turns on both and are now at 2.25 and 2.5. The bike is running way too rich! I think I’m going to pull shims out closer to stock and pull each of the mixtures back in a quarter turn. She bogs all the way to 6k, but then holy crap she moves. I’m sure the 520 sprockets don’t hurt either.
i also added a gear position indicator- took me a bit to figure out which wire to tap in to but once I did that was a nice addition. I’ll take pictures of that process since there isn’t much out there on the install.
So yeah! No pictures this time but I’ll get them when I’m done tuning the bike.
Also looking to go back to a stock air filter from the K&N before tuning- from what I can tell these bikes aren’t a fan of K&N filters. It was in there from previous owner but I think it’s coming out.
If it seems carb-farty, you may wanna raise that tps up a little. It's not that these bikes don't like K&N air filters, it's that most people can't tune the carbs to them.
520 conversion on a big liter twin. Hope you bought a good quality chain.
Also, please do share your gear indicator info. I have one that was pulled off a bike at the shop that I'd love to use but I don't know where to start.
If it seems carb-farty, you may wanna raise that tps up a little. It's not that these bikes don't like K&N air filters, it's that most people can't tune the carbs to them.
520 conversion on a big liter twin. Hope you bought a good quality chain.
Great minds think alike and so do ours. I retarded the TPS to 527- seemed a bit aggressive but not sure how much difference it made.
I've been having a bear of a time getting the carbs tuned. Always seems to be too rich or too lean, even with minor adjustments. Swapping the K&N with the OEM filter did seem to help a bit. The few times I had it at a place I wanted, it backfired on me halfway through the test drive and I would lose a cylinder for a few minutes. On the 8th time through, I noticed a cracked plastic housing for the front carb choke cable, which may have been the culprit. I've ordered some metal ones to replace them with and will try again. I was hoping to take Susie to the Tail of the Dragon and Back of the Dragon this weekend, but we will see. I may just go back to the stock formula if I get in a time crunch.
I did spend a little more on a good chain- rated for a larger displacement/more powerful bike. Should be a good time!
Originally Posted by Wolverine
Also, please do share your gear indicator info. I have one that was pulled off a bike at the shop that I'd love to use but I don't know where to start.
Sure thing! I just posted it- pictures and all. Check it out here.
Sweet! I just put new chain and sprockets on my Duc. A DID ZVM-X 530. Sucker retailed at $249. Good thing the bike shop boss lets me buy stuff at his cost.
I've been to TOTD area twice. Once on each bike. I loooove the Cherohala Skyway. Pure motorcycle zen. There's so many good roads around there.
Sweet! I just put new chain and sprockets on my Duc. A DID ZVM-X 530. Sucker retailed at $249. Good thing the bike shop boss lets me buy stuff at his cost.
I've been to TOTD area twice. Once on each bike. I loooove the Cherohala Skyway. Pure motorcycle zen. There's so many good roads around there.
I've never been! Going with a group- well, if I can get the carb tuning figured out otherwise, taking the wife's bike
So went up to a 48 pilot jet, added a few shims per the carb thread on the site. Was way too rich so I've been moving down towards leaning it out. At one point, I thought it was too lean (1.5/1.75, 1 shim, 48s)- lots of crazy backfiring, begged for choke, came down to idle slow, etc. But didn't matter how much adjustment I made after that, same results. I found the front choke fitting had cracked and figured maybe that was the culprit, so I swapped out the plastic ones tonight with metal. Kept the 48s in, one shim in back, and 1.75/2 turns out on the mixture screws (when I first opened the carbs up they had one shim each, 45 pilots, and 1.75/2 turns out- ran lean but well). The result was a mess. One cylinder didn't want to stay running but would intermittently pop in until under load then it would die back out. Both cylinders seemed warm, exhaust header on the front blazing hot and the one on the rear warm. Backfiring on accel and decel. Running rich on the rear and lean on the front? When both cylinders are running, the idle is fluttering, occasionally a cylinder stumbles, choke seems to help and hurt- it fights itself to go up or stall.
I haven't balanced the carbs yet- usually I like to be in the ballpark first, but I'm pulling my hair out with this one. I feel like I'm getting signs of both lean and rich. When the bike is running well, I see why people like the 48 pilot- it pulls like a train and likes to pick the front tire up. But I only get to do that once or twice before it backfires, I lose a cylinder for a bit, and the bike gets lurchy as the cylinder decides if it wants to come back or not.
The only other thing I can think is the CCTs need to be tightened or they impacted the timing? I'm a tad over 6mm total deflection but that did seem looser than the ACCTs that were in there.
Any ideas are welcome! I have enough time tomorrow evening to basically try one more idea or try going back to the stock setup and seeing what happens.
So not a lot of progress lately on Susie. My buddy has a 98 road king classic efi the HD dealer seems to be making worse not better and my wife’s bike, which I ended up taking on the trip, needed some work. Both of those bikes are finally in a good spot so had a chance to work on the VTR. You can see the thread going on the jetting woes at the following:
In the spirit of updating the log with maintenance and upgrades, something I did was add an addition booster joint and vacuum line to the front cylinder- my attempt to make synching carbs a bit easier than it has been (long needle style, have to take carbs on and off once tuning is done). I have the end out of the picture plugged with a screw and neoprene washer.
She’s running great now! While everything was off, I took the chance to swap coolant. I think the original factory stuff was in there! New coils, new petcock diaphragm, and new vacuum lines seemed to correct whatever the issue was. What a blast! The 48 pilots really wake the bike up. Still a little rougher at low rpm than I would like, but now she just pulls from 2-2.5k like nothing.
haven't ridden her in awhile! Forgot how much fun and how much character she has compared to a detuned i4 motor.
Love you're bike and especially love the yellow. 😍
I do have a question for you though if you don't mind and it has to do with the clutch lever and how heavy it seems to be.
I just purchased a '98 and when I rode it for the first time I was thinking this clutch lever pull is a bit much.
Ive been looking at some of the aftermarket adjustable levers for both the throttle and clutch and wondered what brand you purchased. They look about what I'm looking for.
Also I was curious what you did with your front turn signals and how you changed them. Yours look a bit more flush than on my '98.
You really know your bikes and it shows. 👍
Its been 25 years on a bike and it really shows. It's like being a newb all over again. 😂
Thanks. 🙏🏽
Love you're bike and especially love the yellow. 😍
I do have a question for you though if you don't mind and it has to do with the clutch lever and how heavy it seems to be.
I just purchased a '98 and when I rode it for the first time I was thinking this clutch lever pull is a bit much.
Ive been looking at some of the aftermarket adjustable levers for both the throttle and clutch and wondered what brand you purchased. They look about what I'm looking for.
Also I was curious what you did with your front turn signals and how you changed them. Yours look a bit more flush than on my '98.
You really know your bikes and it shows. 👍
Its been 25 years on a bike and it really shows. It's like being a newb all over again. 😂
Thanks. 🙏🏽
The clutch pull is heavy- I went to an Oberon slave cylinder and a stainless steel braided line (Galfer) for the clutch. They help a bit with the weight but not as much as I hoped- more with the feel of the pull.
For blinkers, I went with these all the way around. I wasn’t as concern about the front as the back. They stick out in the back a bit which makes soft bags challenging. I did all four corners just to look clean. I’ve had good luck with them on this bike and others. They do require drilling a few holes in plastic if that worries you. I also added three prong waterproof plugs in front to make things a little simpler when removing the front fairing.
Hope this helps! Feel free to message me if you want more specifics!
Last edited by evens006; 08-30-2020 at 08:57 AM.
Reason: Links turned out terrible on phone
Alright I’ve got a couple hundred miles on now. What a bike! Happy with the upgrades.
I think the cam tensioners might be a little tight- I tightened them 1/6 of a turn back when I was having issues and they might be a bit tight now.
The Oberon slave is interesting. Clutch is still pretty heavy, but definitely has more feel. Overall I like it but the clutch is a bit heavy.
I picked up a nail in my rear tire 😭 no luck at all haha so patched that up and I have to keep it under 80mph 😑 new tire next spring
I was incorrect on the fueling. The fueling is great, the V-twin is just a bit lumpy down low. Took a little getting used to but I’m not going to adjust the TPS from 527.
Moving to 48 pilots worried me a bit with mileage, but overall I’m still getting 110-120 on a tank. Not the 140 I was getting before, but still not bad.
This bike is bliss though. Wow. Next step is getting suspension finely tuned. I also added some gel decals on the front- saw them in one of the Superhawk Facebook groups and I think it turned out great. Really high quality!
05-19-2020, 04:05 PM
but it turned the cosmetically flawless bike into not so flawless. You can see it if you look close at the first picture. Nothing other than that- I also have been getting pretty good mileage too! About 150 miles out of a tank.
that's why I got a yellow 'hawk too. so much faster.
otherwise, taking the wife's bike 
